IC Inbox: Daybreak

[shockingblue]

GUSTAV "GV" GUNVOLT
UN: AZURESTRIKER

STATUS: Student, Grade 9

ACCOLADES: 4 Year Member of the Rune Guild QUILL, active field agent and runic inscriptionist. Designed and implemented runic equipment for field use. Destroyed a small army of invading undead.

BIO: New to Daybreak Academy. I speak Japanese, German, French, and English. Japanese is a little rusty though. Interests include runic inscription, athletics, physics, and history. I like video games and computers too.

© TESSISAMESS

You've reached GV. If you need me for something, leave me a message, and I'll return it as soon as possible.

Comments

2/15 mid-morning

[playitagain]

[This one's hard. Nana knows she owes an explanation. Or, maybe, an apology.

It's a little hard to muster up.]

I'm sorry if I scared you yesterday.

[shockingblue]

[At first, when GV got the text from Nana, he spent a long moment looking at his phone, honestly puzzled. Some of the night last night kinda blurred together in an adrenaline surge. Not helping anything was the fatigue from using a lot of his powers last night; though he wasn't as tired as he feared he might be.

It took a couple of minutes of replaying the events of the battle in reverse in his head, trying to figure out where, if anything, she might've scared him.

And then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

Mein Gott.

...That moment of stunned shock.

Now that his mind was focused back in on it... good lord. The moment stuck out in his mind, vivid, bright, and... troubling. Nana's practiced, imposing stride, leading to her lethally efficient attack... and that kick. Thinking back to it like that, it had disarmed him at the moment... and was that fear in his heart?

...He couldn't be sure anymore. It didn't feel like it. He definitely wasn't afraid of Nana, even after what happened, but... well. Had he been at that moment?

He stared at the screen, re-reading her text over and over. ...Man, if ever he needed Moniqa's advice, now was the time. But he was on his own here. All he could do was go with his gut when he finally worked up how to answer. ...After he had started writing and deleted the message about seven different times.]

It's okay, Nana. ...Can we meet up to talk about this? I think it'd be easier that way.

[playitagain]

[It might be easier, Nana thinks, to talk in person.

It's also scary. She tenses, fingers curling around her phone for a moment, and her eyes close. She thinks about it for a second.

Then she drafts a reply.]

Sure.

Do you want to meet on campus? We could go to one of the cafeterias. I should eat lunch in a bit anyways.

[shockingblue]

[He took a sigh of relief when Nana agreed to speak in person. GV knew he was already kind of awkward as far as most of his peers went, and he'd still never really worked out how to communicate well in text yet. ...Even in person was still something of a work in progress.]

Yeah, the cafeteria's okay with me. I'll meet you over there in a little bit.

late 12/14 or possibly early 12/15, at their room

[unlogic]

[After Gunvolt was cleared to leave the infirmary, Desidera took him to the cafeteria to grab something to go, and then from there the duo went straight back to Aube.

Their room was mostly-untouched over the past week, with the only real signs of any activity indicating that Desi had only returned to the room to sleep, spending all of her waking hours elsewhere. Everything on GV's side of the room was neatly kept; straightened up once early in the week and then not touched again. The charging station and pillow belonging to Monarch were similarly undisturbed, but kept covered by a small tablecloth to keep any amount of dust from collecting on them.

She pulled her chair from the desk and sat herself down in it, not yet saying anything because she wasn't entirely sure what to say now.]

[shockingblue]

[Gunvolt's mind was far from clear after everything that happened, and with more coming up ahead. There wasn't a lot of time, and yet, he knew he had to get his headspace together before they could really get out and do anything.

...There was too much to think about... but the relief of being back in his dorm room, with Desidera...

That was the closest thing to home he had now. ...Or it would be, once he and Desi got Monarch back.

He noticed how clean the room was, but... also how lived-out of it was. The thin layer of dust in most of the room, suggesting it hadn't been used all that much... other than perhaps Desidera's bed in the meantime. He walks over to his desk, giving a brief look over all of his tools that he kept in the room, both magical and mundane.

Though he doesn't sit down, or start working. He merely stares at his desk, pondering what to do next, before taking a moment to stretch again. Still stiff... and still not wanting to be too dwelling on certain thoughts.

He too, struggled to think of what to say next.]

...I know you said not to apologize for it. But I'm still sorry I worried you.

[unlogic]

[She almost responded by insisting on her own previous apology, but with her now knowing what had happened, there was now an awareness that if she had been there with him, it was more than likely that she would have been the one getting hurt—or worse—if it wasn't both of them instead.]

GV, if anyone owes me an apology, it's that asshole you called your boss. [That...was probably the first time that word has ever come out of her mouth.

And considering what she had been told, that was one apology she wasn't getting.]

Besides, you're back now, that's— That's what matters. That and getting Monarch back once we're ready.

[shockingblue]

[On an ordinary day, hearing Desidera swear like that, would've probably been enough to get Gunvolt to laugh aloud. He's pretty sure he's never heard her use such coarse language before. Which frankly said a lot about how she was feeling about things.

Of course, it's not like he hadn't been using an inordinate amount of foul language himself today... not bothering to even use the slang terms he used in QUILL.

Still, he nodded, taking a look over to Monarch's covered charging station.]

Yeah.

[He let out a sigh, and rubbed his eyes. This was just. A lot. And even if he's been planning on how to deal with Asimov and get Monarch back, he's still not had the time to deal with it.

There's a lot of anger and rage swirling in his heart, enough to make him wonder if he was any better than Viper. He wanted to make Asimov pay. For everything. In spades. Though he didn't let it show openly. But mixed with that was a sense of wondering where everything could possibly go from here. It was all.... so distracting. And overwhelming. He wondered if he'd even be able to sleep tonight.

...Maybe it was best not to think too much on that right now, and focus on the moment. One foot in front of the other, until they could be ready to get Monarch back.]

...It's strange. She's only been with us for a month, and the room feels empty without her. [He pauses, his eyes turning back over to look at his roommate. He almost immediately realized something upon saying it, though. If it felt this empty without one of them... how much worse was it without two?] Desi...? How long were you in there waiting for me...?

After 12/15

[bejustorbedead]

How are you holding up? Is there anything you need?

[He texted him, mulling over the last few days]

[shockingblue]

...I'd be lying if I said I was okay, Professor. But I'm getting by.

[bejustorbedead]

I won't lie, I was pretty scared when I saw what happened and had feared the worse.

[shockingblue]

[Truth be told, Gunvolt wasn't sure what to say to that, and it took him a few moments to respond.]

I'm sorry I worried you. ...Looking back, I shouldn't have gone off on my own.

...Of course, who knew that would happen, of all things.

12/21, at the room again

[unlogic]

[It's during the late afternoon, at a time when all three of the room's occupants are there, when Desidera's phone rings. The caller ID shows the name of one of her contacts, and it's one that, at least half the time, she lets go to voicemail and calls back sometime later. This time, however, she answers it after only a few moments' thought.

The first few sentences that she says are in Italian, and as such, largely unknown to Gunvolt outside of the very first words being a greeting—to her mother. After those sentences, however, she pulls the phone away and sets it down on her desk, and presses one of the buttons on the screen, putting the phone on speaker.]

Okay.

Roommates as in more than one? From what I recall when I brought you here, the rooms were for two students each, not three or four.

[Desi moves her right arm a bit, the bandage around it feeling honestly pretty annoying under the shirt and blazer of her academy uniform. The wound that Asimov had inflicted was dealt with by now, and so the bandage was there for a different reason.]

They are just for two, mother. It's just...you'll understand in a few minutes. We have some things to talk about.

Do we, now? I suppose it must be important, if you're bringing it up willingly. [GV might recall that Desi doesn't particularly like answering when her mother calls; though she's largely accepted things at this point, the fact remained that the woman was more or less the cause of it, and so there's been a minor—but visible—rift all this time despite it being clear that they still actually cared about one another.] Go on, then, I'm listening.

Well, before I begin... Since they're part of all of this, I think my roommates should introduce themselves.

[If she were doing a video call, she'd do the introductions herself, but with it being audio-only, it's better for them to be heard rather than just named.]

[shockingblue]

[Gunvolt glanced over his shoulder when she actually answered that ring. He was a little surprised, as usually that one went to voice mail. He knew it well enough by now. Though this time, she picked it up; and spoke in Italian. Nah, none of it was anything he could really understand, but he sat back and waited.

Eventually though, when she asked him to introduce himself, he hesitated, albeit briefly. He uh... wasn't really sure how to handle this, so he figured he'd just wing it.]

Uh, hi. I'm Gustav, Desi's assigned roommate. Though I prefer most people just call me GV.

[For now, he'd just... uh. Leave out the "Gunvolt" part, because that might be a little weird, right? It wasn't to him, but... a parent might be another story.

Then Monarch piped up, her hologram waving to the phone happily, even though it obviously was just an audio call.]

Hello! And I'm Monarch! ...I'm a magitech-enhanced artificial intelligence, and her other roommate!

[unlogic]

[Desi glanced over to Gunvolt.] I think most people prefer calling you GV, either way. Except for some of the professors.

[Then Monarch spoke up and immediately outed herself.]

I see. [If there was any reaction beyond that, the woman on the phone kept it on her end of the line for now.] Well, it would be rude not to respond, so, you already know that I'm Desidera's mother, but my name is Marise. Have you shared that room the entire time? [Or in other words, were they there before Desi or after?] I do hope she hasn't been too much trouble for either of you.

[shockingblue]

It's nice to finally speak to you, ma'am.

[GV shot a look at Monarch for being so blunt, but she just playfully stuck out her tongue at him.]

Well, I've been here since about January. Monarch's... a much more recent addition.

And no, there's been no trouble at all. Desi's been a great roommate since day one. Better than I could've ever hoped for.

[Sort of a double meaning on that. Both that he never could've imagined meeting someone like her... and then, well. It was infinitely better than the rather stressful arrangement he had with Maple. They'd made it work, and he might've been the first person to withstand Maple for more than a semester... but it was still an ordeal.]

late July, around the time of the Problem Student Shenanigans (un: Bekamari)

[lifeforced]

Hey GV, it's Becky.

Lia's thinking about hitting up the arcade in Soleil because Reasons, I'm gonna be going with and told her I'd ask around a bit: you feel up to coming along?

UN: AZURESTRIKER

[shockingblue]

I'm not sure I'd be great company right now.

I went down to confront Flat and Micah but the faculty's already got the area locked down. Maybe it's better that way. I don't think even a deserved ass-kicking would do much about them in the long run. Goddamn nutjobs.

But if you can put up with me being in a lousy mood, I guess it'd be a good way to let off some steam.

[lifeforced]

We both saw the video. And several of the posts that went up in response. [That includes his. And the response he got.

As well as the additional thread that spun off of it. Becky has some feelings about one particular thing that had been written there, and they're not good ones.]

I think we'll be willing to deal with a bit of grump if you wanna cool off out there rather than like in the Cage or something.

[shockingblue]

I'm down for going out.

At this point, I think going to the Cage would be less productive training and me just reinforcing negative feelings through breaking things. ...That's probably not healthy.

Where should I meet you both?

Closed, Shortly After the Battle of the Third Herald

[shockingblue]

After the whole battle, the injuries, and the stress put upon him, when Gunvolt got back to Daybreak, he felt like he needed to sleep for a week. He didn't, but he definitely cut back from his usual breakneck working pace. He only went out for classes, recreation, or a bit of physical therapy; exercise, mostly. Otherwise, he mostly stayed in with Desidera and Monarch. It wasn't a stretch to say by the end of it the poor kid was at his limit.

A few days after the event, Gunvolt was walking from class back toward his dorm when he heard a voice call out to him. Familiar, at that.

"Oi! GV! Wait up!"

The boy halted, and looked over his shoulder to the young man rushing over to greet him. Blinking a little, and feeling a little trepidation in his heart in seeing his face, Gunvolt nodded.

"Zeno? What are you doing here?"

"Not exactly a warm welcome, huh?"

GV frowned before replying. "...We can't pretend the whole thing with Asimov didn't happen. He was like family to all of us. I know we managed to keep from tearing each other apart and stayed cordial, but we haven't exactly talked anything out since then."

Zeno was quiet for a moment, looking away, for once a little lost for words. "...Yeah. It took a long time to process what happened. Turned out, Asimov was keeping a lot from us all. Between grieving, putting ourselves back together, reorganizing QUILL, and going over all of the intel... it took us months.

But that's why I came here, GV."

"You're sounding way too serious, and you're worrying me. What happened, Zeno?"

"...A lot. We went through all of Asimov's effects. His computers, anything he'd written, all of it. And everything in that suggests everything you and Daybreak reported was right. He... he really went off the deep end years ago. He pulled the wool over all of our eyes. Especially Moniqa. She couldn't believe it. It nearly broke her."

Gunvolt shifted uncomfortably, knowing something like that probably happened. However, given QUILL endured and even helped in the last battle, that told him enough to know she kept it together.

"Finding out the guy she loved was an genocidal maniac? Yeah. That'd do it. How is she now, though?"

"Exhausted, but carrying on. She decided that she cared about the cause she signed up for was still worth fighting for, even if she joined up on pretense of a lie. She's gonna make it the truth of QUILL, not the cover. ...It's why I stuck around. And why we've implemented a lot more transparency measures. The level of secrecy Asimov worked with isn't there anymore."

"...This sounds like a recruitment pitch."

"I guess it sort of is. Moniqa sent me down here for a couple of reasons. The first was... to tell you we know about Asimov, and that we know what you told us was verifiable truth now.

The second... both Moniqa and I... well. We wanted to say there's always a place for you and your friends in QUILL. If you want it. Even after everything that happened, you're still my friend, and I think Moniqa still thinks of you like her kid brother. ...Even if you're looking more and more like a man every time I see you. ...You've gotten taller, too."

Gunvolt lowered his eyes, a dark sadness dulling their bright blue hue. He hesitated before speaking.

"...I don't know if I'm ready for that, Z. I don't know if I can ever be ready to go back to QUILL. Asimov poisoned that well pretty deeply, even if I know you and Moniqa are cleaning it up." His fists balled at his sides. "...I still see his face in my nightmares. Both when he shot me, and when I killed him in revenge." He looked Zeno in the face and firmly stated: "I murdered him, Z. I didn't take justice into my hands that day. I wanted him dead for what he did to me and Monarch, and the pain he put Desi and my other friends through.

And what good did it do in the end? An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind."

"...I don't believe that was the only reason you did it. GV, you're my bro. And I know you well enough to know you put him down because it had to be done to protect the world. A lot of innocent lives. Yeah, sure, still murder, you're probably gonna say. That you're not that far off from him."

"I've asked myself that. In a sense, we're both weapons. Sumeragi used him, turned him into a Glaive Soldier. And he used me, with the intent to groom me to lead Candles everywhere, probably through violence and force."

"Moniqa said you'd probably say something like that. But you're not a weapon, a tool, or anyone's fool, GV. Not anymore. But you and Asimov aren't even in the same league. You are the better man. By far, even if you wanted revenge like he did. But the difference? You didn't take it out on the world, and you chose to do more, to help people instead of hurt them. ...And that's why we wanted to tell you, that you always have a place with us. You're still family to us. And always will be, even if you walk your own path away from QUILL."

"...Moniqa told you to say all of that, didn't she?"

"...A lot of it. The whole 'better man' thing was me," Zeno said, with a wry smile.

Gunvolt paused, shutting his eyes for a bit. He couldn't really look his old friend in the eyes. "...Thanks, Z. And thank Moniqa for me too, when you get back. But right now, my answer's still the same. I'm not ready. ...And..."

"...And you're building another life here. I know. You look... more at ease here at Daybreak than you ever were at QUILL. And that's okay. ...You just make sure you take care of the people you love here." Zeno stepped closer, a smile forming on his face as he slapped Gunvolt on the shoulder. "Especially Desi and Monarch! I'm jealous you live with two beautiful ladies! One of them my favorite idol, at that! Turns out you're a pretty lucky guy!"

Gunvolt's eyes shot open when Zeno slapped him on the shoulder, and he shot his friend a look that wasn't quite withering. "Zeno, please..."

"Too far? Ah, you're still no fun," the agent teased, his eyes sparkling in a nostalgic way. "But... that does bring me to the last thing Moniqa sent me here to do."

"What's that?"

The agent reached into his pocket and produced a flash drive, handing it over to GV. "We did more than digging into Asimov. We followed the breadcrumbs to Sumeragi. Xiao Wu helped us out a bunch into digging into Sumeragi's dirty laundry. We had a breakthrough, and found out a bunch of juicy stuff. We're going to hand it off to Daybreak as collab work tomorrow, but... Moniqa and I believed you deserved to know about all of this stuff personally." And in an instant, a lot of the joviality fell from his face. "...I'll be real with you, GV. You're not going to like what you read in there. It's... disturbing. And very personal. But you deserve to know the truth now that we found it. ...And it's information that you'll probably need to know to protect the people you love here. And this time, we really will have your back."

Gunvolt held the flash drive between two fingers, looking at it with a sense of dread and purpose.

"I see. ...Thanks, Zeno. And thank Moniqa for me too."

"The best way you can thank us is to keep living the best life you can. ...But don't be a stranger either. You can come back and visit us any time. ...And do think of stopping by for Christmas. It'd make Moniqa happy, and she really wants to meet Desidera too. Probably to do the big sis check to make sure her little brother has a good girlfriend." With that, Zeno turned and started walking away, giving a wave over his shoulder. "Hey, make sure to ask Monarch to brush up on her Christmas carols too, okay? See ya, GV."

"Bye, Zeno. See you soon!"

Of course, he was unsure if that were true. He looked at the flash drive one more time, before slipping it in his jacket pocket.

Seems there was a little more homework to do than he thought.

MONARCH. During the thing.

[unlogic]

[Desi's at her desk going over some recent notes when she hears her phone go off. Normally she lets it just sit and checks it later if she's already in the middle of something important, but seeing it come up as being a text from Gunvolt has her wondering what it could be; if it's a text from him, it usually can't wait, because anything that can wait is often saved until she can be told in-person.

After reading the message, she slowly lowers the phone back down to the table and casts an awkward glance toward nothing in particular.]

[shockingblue]

[Desidera's phone buzzing normally isn't something terribly notable, though Monarch did hear it this time. While she was quietly idling, working on something herself within the AI Core, the hologram appeared to stir from a slumber. She played a yawn animation before looked over to Desidera.]

Desi? Are you okay? You look... troubled?

[unlogic]

That was GV. [There's a brief pause before she quickly adds:] He's fine, he's fine, it's just— [She cuts herself off abruptly.]

He just told me that one of the other students I've been tutoring—

[She pauses again.]

She has the tattoo. The same one that I had. [And Monarch knows what that would mean.]

[shockingblue]

[When she reveals it was Gunvolt who messaged her, that was more the red flag. She drifted closer, looking more concerned, but not totally worried. After all, right now, there wouldn't be any real reason he would be in danger, right?

But then she continues, and the hologram's eyes widened.]

...She's part of your old extended family.

...Are you okay? Did you need to talk about it?